The Grizzlies are 6-0, the NBA's only unbeaten team

The Memphis Grizzlies are 6-0, the NBA's only unbeaten team, per ESPN's standings. The Houston Rockets are 6-1: Houston lost 116-111 at Dallas, then beat Oklahoma City 119-98. Philadelphia is also 6-1, and no other team is unbeaten.

Game by game

• Utah: won 123-103
• at Golden State: won 111-108
• at Sacramento: won 123-112
• at Utah: won 110-105
• at Portland: won 124-103
• Sacramento: won 136-105

Where the edge comes from

Memphis has outscored opponents 727-636, a plus-91 differential in total, scoring 121.2 points per game and allowing 106.0. The 121.2 points per game leads the league, ahead of Cleveland at 121.0, and the plus-15.2 differential per game leads Houston's plus-12.4. The win over Sacramento was the widest margin of the 6 games, a 31-point win.

The skeptic's case, answered

The skeptic's case is the slate: the 4 distinct opponents Memphis has beaten are a combined 8-15 now, with Utah at 1-5, Sacramento at 0-6, Golden State at 3-3 and Portland at 4-1. Fair. But those opponents average 116.2 points in their other games, compared with 106.0 against Memphis, a 10.2-point drop. Memphis has also won 4 of its 6 games on the road.

The caveat

The caveat: 6 games is 6 games, and Houston's 6-1 record is a single loss behind Memphis. What can be said: through 6 games, Memphis is the only team in the NBA without a loss, and it leads the league in both scoring and point differential.